Acceptance
by BindDivide
Summary: Cinder lives with her harsh step mother and cruel step sisters. Each day is harder than the last and she is giving up more and more. What might happen when she meets the residential huntsman at a...super-market? Young Cinder and Older Naruto. No parings as of yet. Hope you enjoy!
1. The Meeting

**Author's Note** : Hey all! First story here, so any feedback would be great. Thanks. I don't own RWBY or Naruto. They belong to their own creators. Thank you and enjoy!

* * *

Cinder was not a happy child. Not one bit.

She frowned as she scrubbed the floor of the house, dipping her sponge in the soapy water. She had been at it for hours now, cleaning and polishing all the floors in the two story house. The girl's hands were completely pruned from being submerged for so long and were beginning to sting with familiar pain.

She sighed, her amber eyes dulling as she continued to scrub.

' Damn that woman…. ' She thought, something you wouldn't usually hear a child no older than ten say.

The young child stood up, her knees sore from all the kneeling down and she threw the sponge back into the pale, a small splash resounding from the now dirty water. Cinder stretched a little, her back making a cracking noise that seemed to be louder due to the emptiness of the house.

She frowned and picked up the bucket with a heave, more water spilling a bit as she made her way to the kitchen area. Cinder had remembered that her step mother and sisters had been invited to a party that night and that they wouldn't be home for good couple hours.

These were the days that Cinder Fall could think to herself without being screamed at every waking moment. She loved days like these, despite all the hard work she was tasked with when her guardian wasn't home.

' I wonder if things could ever change…. ' She thought to herself, solemnly frowning from the thought. ' Probably not. ' She told herself, with a final tone. She would not raise her hopes only to have her step mother come and crush them under her heels.

Not again.

After dumping the water out, she placed the bucket with all the other supplies and made her way to the table. With a little effort with the help of getting on her tippy toes, she managed to grab the sheet of paper that was laying on the counter. Her list of chores.

"Hmm...dust the bookshelves, check...scrub the floors, check...get the groceries...not check." She mumbled to herself.

"Wait...groceries? I can...i can go outside!" She exclaimed, her face breaking out in happiness for the first time today.

It was rare that she would be able to leave the house, especially when she was alone. This was one of those super rare moments however and she was gonna take her sweet damn time in enjoying her momentary freedom. She just hopped her step mother wouldn't find out about her lollygagging.

She ran back to her room, something that looked more like a coat closet then a full blown room, and grabbed her tennis shoes and her jacket. It was the middle of Autumn right now so it was sure to be chilly today. Cinder grabbed the keys to the house and left the wooden horror behind as she locked the door.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was not a normal man. Not one bit.

He wore the normal green and white supermarket uniform along with his trusty headband, keeping the hair from falling into his face. Some black sweat pants were snugly worn by him as he looked at the next customer with a bored look on his face.

Ugh he hated owing people favors.

He should never have promised to help that guy! Honestly, why did _he_ have to fill in for him at this shitty job. He wasn't even getting paid for this crap!

Naruto put on his fake smile as the customer gathered his things.

"Have a nice day sir! Come back soon!" He said happily as the man completely ignored him, turning around and leaving the store. As soon as the customer had turned around, the blonde haired cashier gained and annoyed look on his face.

He sighed as he waved his hand, signaling the next person to come.

Scratching the back of his head lazily, Naruto turned to look at the new person in front of him. His head tilted to the side in confusion however when he didn't see anybody in front of him. ' Hmm? ' He thought looking around.

Just then a little hand reached up to the counter and placed a few bags of groceries in front of him. Naruto leaned over and couldn't help but chuckle a little at the little amber eyed girl who was starring him down with an unflinching gaze.

"How cute." He mumbled smiling, allowing his eyes to crinkle upwards into their own smiles. Luckily the black haired girl didn't seem to hear him. That or she just ignored him. Ouch, that last thought hurt a bit.

Ringing up the groceries he decided to make a little conversation.

"So" he began "What's a little lass like yourself shopping for? Shouldn't your parents be helping you at least?" He said, entering in some numbers on the register.

When he didn't receive a response he feared the worse and looked back down at the black haired girl. Fortunately for him, it seemed that she was just too entranced with the candy section located right next to him. Another smile broke out on his face despite being ignored previously.

"Hey. Why don't you pick something out, yeah? I'll cover it." He graciously offered.

Cinder finally looked at the blonde haired man that was being so kind to her. That was new. Usually she was subjected to so much hate that she wasn't quite used to the kindness that seemed to radiate from the man. She just looked at him a little nervously before nodding her head slightly and rushing over to the candy rack.

' There's so much to choose from! ' She thought as she scanned each sweet treat.

Naruto laughed a little at the marvel look in her eyes. His smile however turned to a frown as he finished ringing her stuff up. His eyes narrowed at the girl, noticing the dirtiness of her.

' Is she homeless? No...she would just steal the food, not pay for it. Then family issues. ' Naruto started deducing, watching as the amber eyed girl picked up a chocolate bar. He sighed.

' Look at you Naruto. Already getting in a random girl's business and you don't even know her name yet…not to mention she's a child! ' The twenty year old thought picking up the choco bar that Cinder had handed him tentatively.

"So this one huh? Nice choice! It's a decent chocolate bar if I do say so myself." He happily said, giving her a thumbs up much like a certain green beast.

She looked at him before giggling a bit at the man's pose.

Naruto chuckled, finding the girl's laughter a nice sound to his ears. Paying for the bar, he put it in the bag with the rest of the stuff and handed it back over to the girl. She had already paid when she first put down her groceries so she was good to go.

"Have a nice day lass." He said, actually giving the poor girl his genuine smile.

"Cinder." She said smiling up at him. Naruto gained a confused expression.

"Huh?"

"Cinder. My name is Cinder, not lass." She huffed out despite the smile etched on her face.

"Heh, well the names Naruto Uzumaki. The best Huntsman around." He confidently said, pointing at his chest with his thumb.

The girl giggled some more before turning around and making her way to the door. "Well then, thanks for the candy bar Mr. Cashier Huntsman!" She yelled out giggling as she ran out of the store.

Naruto blushed a little bit, embarrassed. "This jobs only temporary!" He screamed out to her, shaking his fist. He sighed but smiled, his hand reaching up to fiddle with his headband. "Cinder huh? She had potential..." He thought seriously before smiling at the next customer.

"Good afternoon sir!."

* * *

Cinder happily walked home, her groceries in her hands as she rounded the corner. Today had been great despite all the scrubbing and junk. She had visited the park and played on the swings before going to the supermarket to get her stuff.

There however was the highlight of her day. She had made conversation with someone else other then her "Family". Of course it wasn't someone her age but she hadn't really minded much. He was nice to her and was funny. There was no ill intent coming from the blonde man at all, just warm kindness.

There was moment where she actually thought he was a huntsman but she quickly dismissed that thought. Huntsman were supposed to be serious people and he didn't seem the type at all.

Smiling down at her bag she saw the chocolate bar the man had bought for her. While it wasn't much, it was still more then her step siblings and mother could say.

As she made her way home she noticed it was getting dark, the shattered moon making itself more known as it shined in the darkening sky. Unfortunately for Cinder, she was too entranced with the moon and wasn't watching where she was going. She bumped straight into a wall.

"Hey! Watch where yer goin kid!"

Or at least it had felt like a wall. Looking up from her now sitting position she saw an old man with a beer bottle in his hand, the stench coming from his person. His clothes were torn slightly and he had a nicely sized beard. The man angrily glared down at Cinder as she shrank back a bit.

She didn't back down completely however as she started to gather her things. "Sorry..." she mumbled, picking up the bag of stuff that had fallen out.

"Huh? What was that? I didn't hear ye!" He yelled out, lifting up his leg. Cinder flinched, expecting a kick like she had always received back home. This time however it was different. She didn't feel anything.

"You're lucky I was getting off work just now Cindy." A recognizable voice said. The voice was undoubtedly Naruto's but there was a seriousness and an angry edge to it as he glared at the man who was about to kick her.

Cinder began to tear up, her amber eyes becoming foggy and moist with fresh tears. He had come to help her...the first time someone had ever helped her….

Naruto kept glaring at the shocked man. The kick had been easily countered with Naruto's own leg and the man felt as if Naruto's legs were made of some kind of steel.

"Now then. Would you kindly apologize to my student here?" Naruto said gaining shocked looks from both the man and Cinder herself.

Cinder's mouth was agape, imitating that of a fish. "What…?" was all she could mutter.

The man had a similar look on his face but quickly growled out. "Student? The hell does this girl learn from you!? You barely look like an adult youngin!" He yelled out, swinging his beer bottle angrily.

Naruto eye smiled and pointed at himself again. "Oh that's right. Well, you see, i'm a huntsman and this here is my student, a huntress in training."

The man took a step back in shock. Around this part of town huntsman were a rarity, most of them being in the major parts of the city. He growled out, knowing his place begrudgingly. "Fine. I apologize..." He said angrily as he walked away, still tipsy from the alcohol.

Naruto sighed and looked back down at the shocked girl and smiled, scratching his whisker marks on his cheeks in nervousness. "Sorry about saying that suddenly...i knew telling him my title would back him off but is still wanted to show him who you are to me….I was serious Cinder. Would you like to be my student?" He asked seriously but with a joyful smile.

Cinder could not believe it. This man. This man had showed her more kindness in a mere fifteen minutes then anybody had her entire life. Tears steadily flowed from the girl's amber eyes. All she could do was nod.

"Yes...Yes Big brother Naruto!" She happily exclaimed, blushing a little as she jumped into his arms, sobbing out of happiness.

Naruto sat there awkwardly hugging the girl back. He hadn't had much interaction with children before so he was still new to all this. "Big Brother" still touched at his heart though. For the girl to call him that only after showing her a little kindness….he had a lot to talk to her about.

"Come on Cinder….let's get you home..."

* * *

And there ends the first chapter! I have no idea where I'm going with this, you have been warned! But it was fun to write. Hope you all enjoyed it.


	2. Port Town

Author's Note: Wow...just wow! I didn't expect to get so much support for this story. I really appreciate all of you who favorited, liked, and left a review. Even if you just read my story I appreciate that. Thank you all! Now that I got that out of my system it's about time we got back to the story! Begin!

* * *

Amber eyes glowed in the night, narrowed slightly as she watched her target. The owner of said eyes was none other then Cinder Fall, the young lady seemingly focused on whatever she was watching. It wasn't a look of menace but more of a gaze that one would give when they were concentrating.

Frowning slightly from her spot in a random tree, she lowered her bow and began to look around the area more, trying to look for something or someone. She strapped her bow back to her back and jumped down from the tree, easily landing on her feet without any issue. She then took off running.

' Three years….' Cinder thought to herself as she ran at a steady pace through the forest. ' It's been three years since I met him….'

Indeed it had been three years for Cinder since that moment where she had met her teacher. It however didn't even feel like one year had passed, let alone three. Things had changed so quickly for the now thirteen year old. One thing being her outfit.

Instead of the dirty brown and red rags she had worn, she now wore a simple red shirt that had a yellowish fade at the bottom. Black sweat pants covered her legs and she wore some of the standard boots that one would wear when just becoming a huntress.

Her hair had been grown out then cut soon after, the hair only getting in the way of training. Cinder had never felt much of an attachment for her hair so was willing to do what Naruto had said. "Cut that damn hair Cinder! It will only get in the way of when you're kicking ass!" He had said with a grin.

She sighed and smiled, the thoughts of her teacher coming back to her head. Despite it being three years, he still didn't seem to change much. The same red cloak with black flames licking the bottom, the same short blonde hair, and the same adorable whisker marks that made her think he was part faunus. Birthmarks he had told her.

She blushed a little, shaking her head as she came upon a clearing of where the forest ended. In front of her was a huge plain with very little tree's littering the area. A little ways in front of her was the same man that was plaguing her thoughts. Naruto Uzumaki.

He was sleeping….

Cinder looked at him with now a look of anger as she stalked over to the sleeping man. She looked at him and smiled menacingly, her boot lifting up and lining up with his face. "Naruto Sensei...wake the hell up!"

Birds flew from the tree's at the sound of a very girlish scream that resounded the area.

* * *

The morning sun rose up, basking the land in warmth and light. Two figures walked down a path in the kingdom of Mistral. One had what looked to be a wooden bow on her back while the other didn't seem to have any weapons at all on his person.

"I don't know why you had to hit me Cindy-chan….couldn't you have just nudged me awake?" Naruto complained, rubbing his head in pain. Those boots sure did hurt.

The shorter figure looked up at him and frowned. "We were supposed to be doing my training exercise you lazy fool. Weren't you the one who said ' How can you fight if you can never find your target? '. I was supposed to search for you!" She growled out, crossing her arms.

"And you did! You found me so why are you mad?" Naruto looked at her with confusion.

"You weren't even trying sensei. You probably just made that exercise up to get rid of me for the night…." She frowned as she looked away from him.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stopped and shook his hands in front of him. "No no no! I would never do that to my precious student! Umm...hey! Why don't I buy you something nice the next town we go to? It's going to be a port town too so there should be quite a bit of exotic goods! What do you say? Would you forgive me then?"

Unbeknown to the blonde haired teacher, Cinder had been smirking as she stopped and continued to look away. She knew she was being quite mean but she couldn't help it. She just loved in when her teacher would buy things for her. It made her feel especially special to the man.

She hummed in thought and looked back at him with a smile. "You got yourself a deal sensei." She said happily, the look of sadness completely erased from her face as she continued to make her way down the path. Naruto just looked at her with a deadpanned expression. "That was a quick attitude change…." he mumbled to himself.

As he caught up to her, Cinder had a thought. "Say, sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are we going to a port town anyways? For the last three years we just traveled around Mistral but we never went to a port town before now that I think about it."

Naruto closed his eyes and found himself frowning. "I got an important call the other day from my friend, Qrow. You know, the one that I went to school with?" She nodded at that. "Well it seems that something….bad….has happened. He didn't explain it to me over the scroll but said that I should come back to Patch, an Island west of Vale."

"Wait...that means we are leaving Mistral?" Cinder asked surprised. She had not once even had the thought of leaving the kingdom. She was so used to things here that it was more then a little frightening at the thought of going to a different kingdom. How would things be different there?

Naruto nodded, still deep in his thoughts. If Qrow had thought that something bad had happened, enough to call him back to Patch, then it was serious. If things get to out of hand then he might have to do something with Cinder, as to not get her involved.

Cinder looked up at her sensei in worry but looked back down the path, a look of determination on her face. She would protect her sensei because he wasn't just her sensei. He was also family.

* * *

 **Two Hours Later.**

The blonde haired man sneezed as he and Cinder arrived to the port city. The buildings were moderately tall and made with a white brick, making the entire place seem colorless besides the hints of blue and brown near the docks. Naruto smiled and looked down at the girl.

"I'm gonna go buy the tickets for our voyage alright? Why don't you go and browse some of the shops and try to find something you like that is in my price range, got it?" He said, not waiting for a response as he gave her a pouch of lien and walked towards the dock.

The amber eyed girl walked around, looking at all the stalls that were open, displaying their wares. She smiled as she looked around seeing all the neat little trinkets and even some weapon stalls. She then took notice of one of the wooden stalls that seemed to sell accessories.

She made her way up to it and started to browse the different bracelets and necklaces that were made in a variety of color. The old woman behind the stall smiled as the young girl's eyes shined, seeing all the stuff.

"Hello there." The old woman said smiling.

"Huh? Oh...hello there." Cinder said, a little nervous. She had gotten over her shyness mostly when around Naruto but new people were still a little hard to talk to.

"Looking for something to express yourself with?" The old woman asked with a raspy voice. Cinder only nodded still looking around the stall.

The old woman smiled. "Well if you don't mind, I think this here would look cute on you. Not to mention it should help with you being a huntress and all."

Cinder looked in surprise at the old woman as the gray haired woman just chuckled. "I saw your weapon sweety. Not many civilians with those around here. And with the forest so far it would be unnatural for just a regular hunter to be here." She explained.

Cinder nodded at that, again opting to stay quiet in the presence of the wise lady. Her eyes then grew and sparkled as the lady pulled out what she was talking about.

"See? I thought you would like it. It's nicely made and matches your clothes quite nicely. What do you say? Only 14 lien."

Cinder smiled widely as she nodded, payed the woman and grabbed her good. This was amazing! ' Just wait until Naruto sensei sees this! ' She thought to herself as she ran to the dock area, looking for her master. She quickly put it on so that Naruto would see her with it.

Naruto had just payed for the passage on the ship when he heard quick footsteps rushing towards him. Turning around he found his student with a wide smile on her face. "Hey there Cindy. Find something nic-" He began smiling.

His face grew surprised as he looked her over again. Here was his student, looking the same as before but now….now she had a freakin cool headband on! One that matched his in everything except color! While his was a pitch black, hers was a crimson red, one that matched her shirt and eyes completely

He smiled as he walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, look down so she couldn't see his face. "You...you….look amazing!" He shouted, drawing heads from the other traveling folks. His head shot up as he looked at the now blushing girl. There was tears flowing freely from his eyes as a wide smile formed on his face.

Cinder looked away from and shuffled in her spot, blushing. "Thank you sensei, but could you keep it down...you're embarrassing us."

Naruto sniffled and nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Sorry sorry." he chuckled. "I just get emotional when someone uses the same style as me."

Cinder giggled and was about to respond when the ship decided to make itself known by blaring it's horn. Naruto smiled and looked at the ship. "Well, time to go Cindy-chan. Are you ready?"

She nodded with happiness as she followed him on board. Nothing could ruin their time together!

* * *

Qrow sighed sadly as he comforted the crying children on the couch. The smaller one had short black hair that faded into a red at the end. She was wearing her white onesie pajamas that had multiple little roses littering it. This was Ruby Rose, Qrow's niece and she was currently crying into the arms of one Yang Xiao Long, his other niece.

Yang had on her own pajamas that were a light brown with yellow flames littering around, just like Ruby's. Her long blonde hair shined unnaturally and her lilac eyes were shining with fresh tears.

Qrow frowned and looked at them sadly as he watched over them. Taiyang had already left the house to express his own sadness. One that was probably more violent then the two girls in front of him. Unfortunately he couldn't go and help his friend right now. He had these two to look after.

Qrow looked down and he could understand all the tears. I mean heck, even he wanted to cry and he probably will later, but right now he had to be strong.

Because today was the day that Summer Rose was announced dead….

Ruby probably didn't really understand it fully as she was only four years old right now but her older sister Yang definitely understood it. For yang it was hard because this was the second mommy she had lost and it didn't make it any easier.

Qrow took a swig from his flask as he sat down on the couch. Almost instantly the two girls had crawled up to him and cried into his sides. Qrow could only think about how his friend Naruto would feel when he would have to break the news to him. Summer was like a sister to the whiskered man, always helping him out when he was down.

Qrow frowned again and put his flask away. He only hoped that Naruto would forgive him….

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! About the same word length, sorry about that but I'm not much of a lengthy typer. Hopefully I can make up with that in the amount of chapters. Also if you are wondering "What happened to Cinder and her parent's issue?" Well i suppose you'll just have to keep reading to find out. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please Read and Review! Bye!


	3. Remembrance

**A/N:** Sorry about the stupid update without a chapter guys! But as promised, here is a new chapter for "Acceptance". I was told I was going a bit too fast and I agree so I decided to try and slow it down a bit. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The waves of the sea gently rocked a lone boat traveling west of Anima and towards Sanus. Inside, as one would expect, were passengers who mostly looked to be civilians. However, there were a few people who looked more...er...capable than the rest.

Naruto Uzumaki and Cinder Fall were two of these unusual passengers.

"Ugh...I'm gonna be sick..." Cinder muttered to herself, her face growing a light green as another wave hit into the hull of the boat. "I had no idea...it would be like this..."

Naruto could only laugh as he lied on his bed, flipping another page in his manga. "Oh come on Cindy-chan~ Can't handle a little motion on the water?" His only response was the piercing glare of the thirteen year old. He winced and scooted a little bit away from the scary girl. " _Wah! Scary. You'd think I'd learn not to keep messing with her._ " He thought to himself.

"Sensei...how much longer?"

"Shouldn't be too long...a day or two at most. The sea parting Anima and Sanus is relatively small." His response this time was just a pained groan as the girl hunched over even more at another big wave. "Once we get to the city of Vale we can take an airship instead of a boat, kay?" He sweat dropped and placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder.

"Thank you Sensei...I think I'm gonna spend the rest of my time in the bathroom...Ugh..bleh." And with that, Cinder slowly hobbled into their shared bathroom in the cabin.

With Cinder gone, Naruto was finally left alone with his thoughts as well as the one plaguing question. Why did Qrow call for him so suddenly? Why come back to patch? Usually the two would meet in a bar to trade information, not go back to his family's home. The blonde huntsman sighed and absentmindedly flipped the page of his manga.

His eyes scanned over the contents of this page, the main characters shouting at some generic baddie. How typical. Something on the bad guy's outfit caught his attention however...it was the design of a wilted rose…

"That reminds me...I wonder how summer is doing..." he mumbled to himself, closing his eyes and placing the book on his face, shielding his eyes from the light. He smiled lightly and chuckled to himself. " _Four years since I last saw her..._ _b_ _ig sis Summer. I wonder if she's come up with a new cookie recipe as of late._ " He hummed in thought.

With that thought, he let the waves of the sea drift him into sleep….and into a memory.

* * *

 **4 Years Ago**

" _BIG SIS! BIG SIS I'M HERE!" Shouted a loud blonde teenager as he barged into the hospital, panting and sweating as if he had just ran a mile to get there._

 _Multiple "SHHH"s were sent his way, along with a few glares but he didn't care about that now. He needed to see Summer dammit!_

" _Whoa whoa, slow your roll kid..." came a voice from behind Naruto. "...Why don't you follow me instead of creating an enemy of every person in this hospital?" came the raspy voice again._

 _Turning around, Naruto came face to face with Qrow, one of Summer's teammates and one of his true friends from the academy. "Qrow! Where's summer, is she alright? Has it happened yet? AM I TOO LATE!?"_

 _Qrow grimaced at the loud screechy voice of the teen, slapping the boy upside the head with his flask before taking a swig. "What did I just say? Follow me, I'll take you to her room." Naruto grumbled, but nodded and started to follow the man._

 _Naruto took in the man's appearance as they walked and frowned. Qrow looked slightly disheveled, along with a few cuts in his grey jacket. His hair seemed to be matted with sweat and there was a small cut under his right eye. Not one to keep his mouth shut, the blonde inquired about his appearance._

" _Well, like you, I was called suddenly. When I was called and asked to come to the hospital, I was in the middle of a fight with a deathstalker alpha. Just my luck to get called in the middle of such an intense battle. And with important news too..." He solemnly chuckled as Naruto winced._

 _While he wasn't told directly what Qrow's semblance was, he HAD overheard him and Raven talking about it at some point. It was such an odd semblance that it stuck in his head ever since._

 _Qrow glanced at the blonde haired boy and gave him a smile. "She's gonna be happy to see you. You two haven't had much time to catch up ever since you started your mission practice at school. Heck, you've only met Yang maybe twice."_

 _Naruto stayed quiet, thinking to himself. It was true. His "On the battlefield" missions had began, the beginning of his graduation to becoming a true professional huntsman. It was an odd thing to hear but soon he would be on the battlefield for real!_

" _Once I complete my training and graduate, I will try my best to be in the squirts life more. I can already tell she's gonna be just like me! A fighter!" Naruto grinned to the man as they made a turn in the hallway._

 _Qrow chuckled again and nodded, opting to let the air fall into a comfortable silence._

 _Soon the two had reached room number 32 where Qrow stopped and sat down on the bench outside._

" _Well?" The older man began. "What are ya waiting for? Go see her." Naruto was slightly stunned before looking at the man with a bright smile "Right!"_

 _Opening the door, Naruto was immediately greeted by the crying of a child and the soft cooing of a woman's voice. Scanning the room, Naruto allowed a truly genuine smile widen on his face._

 _A small babe with hair mimicking her mothers sat comfortably in a womans arms, softly whimpering before closing her eyes and slowly falling asleep. The woman had dark black hair that faded into a dark red near the tips and was wearing a customary hospital gown, smiling down at the child with such a loving gaze that other mothers would be jealous._

 _Next to the woman at her bed side stood a man with a much duller blonde set of hair. He had a small amount of facial hair and was dressed in brownish cargo shorts and a tan vest with brown highlights. A orangish red piece of cloth was wrapped around his left bicep and a shoulder plate was on his right._

 _This was Taiyang and his wife Summer. Along with their new child who he didn't know the name of yet._

" _Big sis..." He muttered, breaking the silence of the room and alerting the two older people to his presence. Summer's silver eyes widened and his face contorted into absolute joy. Tai smiled and gave a little wave at his friend, happy he could make it._

" _Ruto...you came. Come here, come meet Ruby." She quietly ushered the boy over, a loving smile on her face. Naruto could only comply as he walked over to the two, glancing around the room a bit as he took his place on the other side of the bed, opposite of Tai."Where's Yang?"_

" _Still at daycare...we wanted her to be here but unfortunately it happened so sudden. One moment we were making dinner then the next she was making a baby pop out of her..."_

" _That's enough DEAR." Summer softly growled out at the man who had the decency to show his embarrassment. Naruto could only laugh as quiet as he could as he leaned over and tried to get a good look at the kid sleeping in Summer's arms._

" _Ruby huh? Following that tradition of naming after colors?"_

 _Summer and Tai both nodded at that and the woman allowed herself to shift slightly_

" _With Yang yellow and Ruby red, it allows for the color Orange to be made. How's that sound orange lover?"_

 _Naruto could only grin at the little jab at his obsession with the color orange, a color he was wearing even now. "Seems like they'll both grow up to be great people with such a connection to the ultimate color. Now let's get them started on a ramen only diet~"_

 _The group laughed to themselves as Summer raised Ruby a little._

" _Would you like to hold her?" She spoke with a smile._

 _Naruto frowned but nodded, nervously reaching out to take the small babe._

" _No, not like that you idiot. You have to take her into your arms like this, and hold her against yourself, see?" Summer demonstrated as she held Ruby close to her chest. Naruto sweat dropped and muttered "I didn't even hold her yet..."_

 _The blonde huntsman in training then took the newly born child into his arms and held her against his chest, smiling down at her. "Hey there ya little goofball..." He chuckled, wagging his finger down at her. This seemed to awaken the young girl as she looked up at the blue eyes with her own silver ones._

" _Wah, bwhaha." Ruby began to make laughing noises mixed with the typical baby gurgling._

" _As Naruto smiled down at the girl Tai and Summer shared a glance with each other, nodding to each other. Naruto didn't notice as he watched the dark red head take a hold of his finger and stick it in her mouth, closing her eyes again. "She's gonna grow up to be a great person you guys...i just know it."_

" _We were hoping you'd say that Naruto" Tai said with a grin as he scratched the back of his head. Confusion arose on Naruto's face as he looked at the two who were looking away a little, avoiding his eyes. "What do you mean by that you old fart?"_

" _O-old fart!?" Tai harshly whispered. "If I'm an old fart then you're a young fart! We're only 5 or so years apart!"_

" _Quiet honey you'll wake Ruby. You too Ruto, we have something important we want to tell you...or more so ask you." This caught Naruto's interest as he softly handed Ruby back over to her mother._

" _We'd….we'd like you to be Ruby and Yang's godfather."_

 _With that, Naruto's reality shattered. They wanted him to be a part of their family...for real! Like, for real for real!_

 _Summer and Tai looked at each other once more and spoke with uncertainty._

" _Naruto?"_

 _No response_

" _Naruto Sensei?"_

 _No respon- wait...what was that?_

" _NARUTO SENSEI WAKE THE HELL UP!"_

* * *

 **Back to the present**

Cinder groaned, stepping out of the bathroom with a disgusted look on her face. She sighed and shook her head. At least she was beginning to get used to this ship travel. Didn't mean she liked it.

The young girl slowly walked over to her bed and plopped down on her bed, on the opposite side of her Sensei's. Burying her face in her pillow she groaned again, sleep making itself known to her. Glancing over at Naruto's bed revealed that he was asleep, his manga having fell to the floor and off his face.

Looking at the alarm clock at his bedside alerted her that it was already 7 PM. They had boarded the ship at 2 PM. " _Gods..._ _I've_ _been in the bathroom for at least 4 hours or so._ " She thought to herself. " _Some huntress_ _I'll_ _be..._ "

Standing from her position on her bed, she made her way over to the blonde and shook him awake.

"Naruto, wake up"

No response.

Frowning, Cinder shook his body harder.

"Naruto! Cmon, wake up!"

No response.

Glaring at the man, she reared back and allowed her fist to slam down on his stomach.

"NARUTO SENSEI WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Annnnnd that did the trick. A little too well…

Naruto shot up from his position and began to hack and wheeze, attempting to regain the air that was lost. The aura that surrounded his body may heal wounds but it did a damn shitty job at protecting from getting the wind knocked out of him.

"C-Cinder, wh- _cough-_ what the hell? What...what was that for?" Cinder frowned and looked away, muttering out a small apology at going to hard on her sensei.

"Sorry sensei but you weren't waking up. Were you having a good dream or something?" She asked curiously. Naruto, catching the remains of his breath properly sat up and mused the question aimed at him.

"That I was Cinder. That I was." He gave her a grin and continued talking. "I can't wait till you meet Qrow and Tai but I especially can't wait to introduce you to my big sis. She's the one who shaped me into who I am today and therefore, by connection, who shaped you into who YOU are."

Cinder smiled and shook her head at the child like glee in her sensei's eyes. For some reason, there was a small drop in her stomach when he mentioned his "big sis" but let it slide, thinking it was just her seasickness.

"Come on Naruto Sensei, you can tell me about her on the top deck. We have guard duty starting at 8 PM. Remember?"

Naruto glanced at his clock and his eyes widened and he shot up from bed. "Oh Monty Oum you're right! Cmon let's go!" With that, he grabbed Cinders hand and dragged her out of the room and towards the stairs. Guard duty, starts now.

* * *

 **A/N:** And batta bing batta boom! A bit of a flashback chapter that helps define the relationship between some of the members of STRQ and Naruto. Hope you guys liked it and expect regular updates every week! Thank you for reading and reviewing~ Peace!


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